Two families in Glace Bay, N.S. are now homeless after a fire at their two unit duplex destroyed nearly everything they own, just days before Christmas.

The fire broke out just after 11:00 a.m. Thursday at a duplex on Seventh St. in Glace Bay. Nobody was inside at the time of the fire, but when firefighters arrived they found family pets inside.

“They took the pets out, and at that time we resuscitated a couple of cats back to life, but we were unable to bring the dog back to life,” says John MacPherson, Deputy Chief with the Glace Bay Fire Department.

One side of the unit was totally destroyed, its contents reduced to ashes. Next door, Blair Caume’s home was left with heavy smoke and water damage.

“Anybody that would be in this situation, you’re getting put out of your home,” says Caume. “It’s kind of surreal, we really don’t know what to think of it. We’re just taking it day by day to decide what we’re going to do,” says Caume.

Caume’s entire home is covered in black soot, including pictures of his teenage children. His family has moved in with relatives as he waits to see if they’ll ever be able to return to their home.

“I think the biggest factor is what are they going to do to this side, because regardless if they leave it here, I’m not going to be able to do anything with my side, it smells like a burnt house. So it’s up to the CBRM what they’re going to do with this,” says Caume.

The duplex was not insured. Due to the age of the home, insurance companies won’t insure unless they’re brought up to code, which would cost a great deal of money- money that many of these homeowners do not have.

Caume’s neighbours lost everything, including clothes and Christmas gifts. They could not be reached for comment, but they did receive a donation from the Salvation Army.

The Red Cross is currently assisting both families with clothing and food.

But for Blair Caume and his family, the Holiday’s will certainly be different this year.

“It’s definitely a shock, it’s still surreal for us. It’s a waiting game now to see what we’re actually going to do,” says Caume.

On Friday, the Fire Marshall’s office was still on scene, combing through the debris and investigating. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.